1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a throwing object and specifically to a game ball having a beverage receptacle and raised symbol gripping aspect.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Within the United States of America as well as other parts of the world, a popular activity enjoyed by millions is tossing an object such as a football, beach ball, Frisbee®, or baseball. For example, persons relaxing at a picnic or at the beach may enjoy throwing a football. While most people enjoy throwing it, some find it difficult to impart the spiral rotation necessary to accurately throw a conventional football a sufficient distance. Because only a limited portion of the population possess the skills required to throw a conventional football proficiently, various modifications have been made to such footballs to allow a greater portion of the population to throw a football shaped object better. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,514 issued to Adler et al. discloses a football shaped object having external fins that promote rotation in flight. U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,466 issued to McDonald, et al, discloses a game ball with a hollow portion with a weighted insert. U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,550 issued to Handy discloses a football having raised ribs extending asymmetrically along the length of the body which ribs change the aerodynamic properties of the football when thrown. U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,948 issued to Thomas discloses a football with a hollowed center passage and a pair of wind fins mounted within the passage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,329 issued to Bushman discloses a football shaped game ball with a cylindrical hole with external fins to aid in spinning the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,451 issued to McDonald discloses a football with a weighted center passage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,368 issued to Pierson teaches a lightweight ball projectile with a center passage and cutout design patterns along the body to cause an erratic flight path.
After a period of time of throwing a football or similar projectile as those describe above, the now tired or perhaps distracted participants may desire to change activities and enjoy a beverage. Because many outdoor activities are enjoyed during warm weather, individuals sometimes store beverages in insulated chests, or coolers, to keep their drinks cold. After removing the beverage from the cooler, some individuals desire to place their beverage in an insulated beverage holder known popularly as a “Koozie®”. Insulated beverage holders have been used for years as advertising tools because such holders are generally inexpensive to manufacture and additionally offer a suitable and promotionally desirable surface for placement of marketing messages such as a brand names, slogans, or logos. Despite having further marketing capabilities, most insulated beverage holders are single purpose objects and are used only to insulate a beverage container. Limited attempts have been made to broaden the uses of insulated beverage holders. For example, Gleason, U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,469 teaches a tubular throwing projectile having an elongated body and an axial hole configured to accept a beverage container.
While some football shaped throwing objects with central passages capable of holding a beverage are known in the art, none of these prior art throwing objects incorporate the feature of having a raised symbol gripping portion. What is needed is a game ball that addresses the need of marketers looking for new marketing opportunities and the need of outdoor enthusiasts who desire the experience of more proficiently throwing a football-like object that may also be used as a beverage receptacle. The present invention provides for these needs by providing a game ball that may be used as a beverage receptacle, the ball having superior aerodynamic properties and a raised symbol gripping portion that offers enhanced marketing opportunities.
The present invention provides a game ball shaped generally like a truncated football. The ball is comprised of a central passage capable of holding a beverage container and an elongated raised symbol gripping portion. The central passage is of circular shape and uniform diameter through the length of the ball with the longitudinal axis of the passage lying on the longitudinal axis of the ball. In one aspect of the invention, the central passage is comprised of an open portion and a central fin assembly portion. In this aspect of the invention, when used as a beverage container receptacle, the fin portion of said central passage acts as a base against which the container may rest. The raised symbol gripping portion allows a user to impart additional rotational movement, or spiral action, when the ball is thrown.
When thrown, the game ball of the present invention will rotate about a longitudinal axis to form a spiral just as a perfectly thrown conventional football would. However, the truncated shape of the ball, together with the central passage comprised of fins, and the gripping portion allow a user to impart virtually the same spiral on a less than perfectly thrown ball as one thrown correctly.
While the gripping portion comprised of raised symbols may be used by the thrower to impart an even greater spiral action on the ball than would otherwise be imparted in the absence of such portion, the gripping portion has the added function of being capable of being comprised of a marketing message such as a company name, brand, or logo. Because of its incorporation within a functional aspect of the ball, the message will be even more greatly appreciated by the user. Since it is expected that the game ball of the present invention will likely be used at picnics and family gatherings at which numerous consumer products are being used and consumed, the ball has valuable marketing potential. For example, a beverage company may like to use the ball to promote the consumption of its beverages at social functions and can place its company name or logo along the gripping portion of the game ball. Therefore, the consumer would be reminded of the company's product when the ball is at rest, being thrown, or being used to hold and insulate a beverage container.